Czech government approves joining EU fiscal pact

The center-left government has approved the Czech Republic’s accession to
the EU fiscal pact, the CTK news agency reports citing the government’s
state secretary for European Affairs Tomáš Prouza. The move is not
expected to have immediate economic consequences and the country will be
bound to abide by the pact’s budget restrictions only after it joins the
euro zone. At present it is seen as a manifestation of the country’s
pro-European course and commitment to deeper EU integration. Economists
have welcomed the move saying accession to the fiscal pact would enhance
budget discipline and prevent future Czech governments from raising debts
excessively.

Government aid operation to expats in Ukraine called off

The Czech government will not be providing extensive assistance to Czech
expatriates in Ukraine, some of whom have asked to be repatriated to their
old homeland for security reasons. Foreign Minister Lubomír Zaorálek said
after Monday’s meeting of the Security Council that a team of government
experts sent to the region to assess the security situation had not found
grounds which would justify a large-scale aid operation or speedy
repatriation. The reasons behind the requests for repatriation are reported
to have been largely of a social and economic character, Mr. Zaorálek
said. A planned visit to the Czech expat community in western Ukraine by
the Foreign Ministry’s special commissioner for Czech expatriates Karel
Kuhnl has likewise been scrapped.

Finance Minister Andrej Babiš wants Czech state-controlled owned energy
firm ČEZ to pay all of last year’s profit to its shareholders, the daily
Hospodářské noviny reported on Monday. ČEZ posted a net profit of 35.2
billion crowns in 2013. The Czech state, which owns a near 70-percent stake
in the firm, would receive around 25 billion crowns, some 10 billion more
than the year before. In recent years, ČEZ paid out between 40 and 45
percent of its profits in dividends to shareholders. Mr. Babiš’ plan is
to be discussed by coalition parties; a spokesman for the company said the
decision was up to shareholders.

Justice Minister Helena Válkova has apologized for insensitive statement
relating to war events

Justice Minister Helena Válkova has apologized for making an insensitive
statement relating to WWII events. In an interview for the news site Echo
24 Mrs. Válkova strongly condemned the post-war expulsion of 2.5 million
Sudeten Germans from Czechoslovakia, saying that while the expulsion was in
response to what had taken place before, nothing much had happened to
Czechs under the protectorate. The statement sparked a storm of protests
from opposition MPs. The center-right TOP 09 and the Civic Democrats said
the words were an insult to the thousands of Jews who had suffered and died
in concentration camps and a slight to the memory of the victims of Lidice
and Ležáky, two villages raised to the ground by the Nazis. Mrs. Válkova
explained in a statement that she had uttered the phrase as a comparison to
what had happened in Poland or the former Soviet Union and said she should
have expressed herself more clearly.

Government approves compensation for scrapped hospital fees

The government has approved a proposal for hospitals to get 2.1 billion
crowns in 2014 as compensation for scrapped hospital fees which went to
cover food and accommodation services provided to patients. In 2015
hospitals would get 4.2 billion crowns for this purpose. The money would
come from a higher state contribution to health insurance for children,
pensioners and the unemployed. The proposal still needs to win approval in
Parliament and be signed into law by the president. Hospital fees were
scrapped as of the start of this year by a ruling of the Constitutional
Court which upheld a complaint that they were unconstitutional in view of
the fact that patients are already paying health insurance.

Statistics reveal significant gender gap in pay

Statistics reveal a significant gender gap in pay, according to a report by
the Labour and Social Affairs Ministry. The figures show that both in the
private and public sector women make on average 17 percent less than men in
similar positions. The gap is reportedly widest in the 40 to 50 age
bracket, where women make on average 23,000 crowns a month, while men make
on average 31,000 crowns.

Overall confidence in economy up in March

Overall confidence in the Czech economy grew in March, according to the
Czech Statistics Office. Compared to the previous month, the confidence
indicator rose by 1.4 points to 6.9 points in March. Entrepreneurs’
confidence in the economy increased by 0.9 points to 10 points while
consumers’ confidence index grew from -9 points in February to -5.5
points recorded this month. A survey among consumers also found they are
less concerned about possible economic slowdown and their own financial
situation; they also showed less concern about rising unemployment.

Finance Ministry curbs outsourcing services costs

The Finance Ministry has ended cooperation with 13 lawyers’ offices which
provided the ministry with legal advice and outsourcing services. The
ministry said it would use its own lawyers for this purpose, saving an
estimated 4.3 million crowns. Finance Minister Andrej Babiš has made it
clear he will not tolerate millions of crowns being spent on outsourcing
services for tasks that should be handled by the ministry’s own staff. He
has moreover ordered an internal reorganization that should further cut
administrative costs.

Work on D1 highway expected to slow traffic between Prague and Brno

The modernization of the D1 highway is entering a critical phase on Monday
when road workers are expected to gradually close off large sections of the
highway channeling traffic into two lanes in each direction. The speed
limit along those stretches has been reduced to 80 kms per hour and drivers
have been warned to expect pile-ups. The left lane in each direction is
moreover only 2.5 meters wide and is not intended for larger vehicles. The
situation is expected to worsen next weekend when half of the highway will
be closed for repair-work, significantly slowing down the flow of traffic
between Prague and Brno.

New charges brought against Czech fugitive Radovan Krejčíř

Police investigating the Czech fugitive Radovan Krejčíř have brought new
conspiracy to murder charges against him, linking him to a plan to kill a
top crime intelligence officer and a private investigator. Krejčíř had
been suspected of involvement in the plans but was not among those charged
until the police found evidence that he personally ordered the contract
killings. New witnesses have also stepped forward who are willing to give
testimony. Krejčíř is currently fighting a number of cases against him
in courts across Gauteng. He and three others face charges of kidnapping,
assault and attempted murder.